Returning after a long time away; overwhelmed

[darkwombat.3695]

I played a ton of GW2 from 2011 to Id say at least 2017
Ive logged in from time to time but have never really come back 100%. 
I have a lot of questions below, numbered

1. Ive never enjoyed the living story. However I bought the Janthir Wilds expansion and I am going to go for it and try to get into it. Spoil me on whats happened pre-Janthir and if you think the writing has improved.

2. I want to clean my bank. I keep gear for alts who hit max level eventually. Any pointers? I keep level 70 greens too. Maybe I need a new rule, if it aint at least yellow, trash or crush it?

3. Training masteries is overwhlming for max level characters. I know I can google it.  So each expansion has its own masteries. Do I need to have an alt run through Path of Fire to learn mount masteries properly? When I eat a Tome of Knowledge does it depend what zone I am in? Will eating one in Heart of Thorns area effect that? And when I eat one I get points to put into something but nothing happens when I place points, it just starts researching.

[illuminati.8453]

28 minutes ago, darkwombat.3695 said:

1. Ive never enjoyed the living story. However I bought the Janthir Wilds expansion and I am going to go for it and try to get into it. Spoil me on whats happened pre-Janthir and if you think the writing has improved.

The writing has generally gotten worse, but each Living World season and major expansion is largely standalone and can be skipped without major issues. That said, getting a skyscale might be worth it.

30 minutes ago, darkwombat.3695 said:

2. I want to clean my bank. I keep gear for alts who hit max level eventually. Any pointers? I keep level 70 greens too. Maybe I need a new rule, if it aint at least yellow, trash or crush it?

You don’t really need to save everything. It’s often better to avoid being a pack rat in this game. Equip what you need and get rid of (one way or another) the items you aren’t using. As you engage more with the game’s reward paths, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for upgrades.

32 minutes ago, darkwombat.3695 said:

3. Training masteries is overwhlming for max level characters. I know I can google it.  So each expansion has its own masteries. Do I need to have an alt run through Path of Fire to learn mount masteries properly? When I eat a Tome of Knowledge does it depend what zone I am in? Will eating one in Heart of Thorns area effect that? And when I eat one I get points to put into something but nothing happens when I place points, it just starts researching.

Tomes of Knowledge are for leveling characters that aren’t max level, not for masteries. However, there are items that provide XP towards masteries, and those do need to be used in the corresponding zone or expansion for them to apply properly.

[QueenKeriti.5176]

2. Anything below exotic can be salvaged or sold. L80 Exotic gear is cheap on the TP, and it is the bare minimum to have.

3. Tomes are for character levels from 1-80 and spirit shards. Mastery is different. Mastery points aren't able to be consumed until you finish "training" (getting the XP needed) the mastery. Mastery points come from a variety of sources. XP for the masteries does have to be gained from the appropriate regions (HoT masteries = HoT + LWS3, PoF = PoF + LWS4, IBS = IBS, EoD = EoD, SoTO = SoTO, etc), with the exception of a handful of items that will tell you what mastery XP you get for consuming them.

[darkwombat.3695]

I have basic glising and a raptor mount.
Esssentially I dont really NEED masteries for these right?

[Randulf.7614]

It's a continuous story. The expansions and living story are not largely standalone despite what has been said here. Secrets of the Obscure is a slight exception since it begins a new, smaller arc. But it still progresses the story. And Janthir likely moves on from threads mentioned there. The writing improved through LS4 and peaked about halfway through IBS before it went downhill. EoD isn't as bad as many make out and the first half of SoTo I thought was better than a lot of LS. The second half was awful.

Keep nothing that you don't immediately use. Gear is so easy to get there is simply no need to be horading level 70 greens. Just ditch it - sell or salvage

Tomes have no relation to masteries as has been said. You absolutely do need masteries for gliding and mounts in order to get the most out of them. The entire system is based around them. Whilst you can use them at a basic level, you wont be able to do much more than run around on them without masteries. I couldn't even imagine going back to raptor without long jump or skyscale without all its skills

[RoseofGilead.8907]

9 minutes ago, darkwombat.3695 said:

I have basic glising and a raptor mount.
Esssentially I dont really NEED masteries for these right?

Masteries help your mounts and gliding function better than baseline. Raptor, for example, gets a longer jump when the mastery is trained. Training masteries for gliding lets you glide faster and for longer. So no, you don't NEED them, but having them makes using those features much more enjoyable.

[darkwombat.3695]

So last question, should I have a max level alt do Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire to help my flying and mount masteries?

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

You should have a max level character play in Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire just to stay alive. 

[Randulf.7614]

You need a level 80 to do anything from the expansions. It doesn't matter if it is an alt or your main. Progress is shared account wide. If using an alt dedicated to HoT and PoF is your preferred method, there's no reason not to do that

[Randulf.7614]

Also remember, not all mounts come from PoF

PoF: Raptor, Springer, Jackal, Skimmer, Griffon

Season 4: Rollerbeetle, Skyscale

EoD: Siege Turtle, Skiff

SoTo: Skyscale

WvW/Janthir: Warclaw

[Mic.1897]

FYI it may not be worth returning if you don't roll as Charr.

They are currently the only race in the game that yields a truly fulfilling RPG experience

[darkwombat.3695]

You guys are so helpful.

Im still amazed at the community here. Its not unlike LOTRO, both two of the nicest and most helpful MMO communities out there.

[Maienstern.2154]

If you enjoy playing alts and doing mal completion, than yes, it's worth running your alts threw the expansion. If that isn't your preferred way of gaining exp, than no, not worth it. Just spent time on the expansion map in whatever way you like and your mastery tracks will fill up faster than you expected. Personally I find it more difficult to get the mastery points than the exp, anyway. And mastery points are account wide, so the toon you collect them with doesn't matter. 

[meerfunkuhtron.9725]

10 hours ago, Mic.1897 said:

FYI it may not be worth returning if you don't roll as Charr.

They are currently the only race in the game that yields a truly fulfilling RPG experience

All the characters that mean anything to me are Sylvari, which made HoT a nice and interesting experience.
I really wish they continued on with that kind of thing in their storytelling, where certain experiences can vary depending on racial background or story decisions.

[Mic.1897]

56 minutes ago, meerfunkuhtron.9725 said:

All the characters that mean anything to me are Sylvari, which made HoT a nice and interesting experience.
I really wish they continued on with that kind of thing in their storytelling, where certain experiences can vary depending on racial background or story decisions.

Your experiences still do vary based on racial decisions.

Switching to Charr nearly tripled my income